BigT-65

Has anyone installed relays in a midyear Vette that could take a few pictures showing where the relays are installed and the locations of the connections to the wiring harness and power source? I bought the relays from Mad Electric. The installation looks simple enough, I just want to see some installed.

Revfan

subscribed

My wiring is ham-fisted and I need to redo it... but it works. I'd like to see how others did it myself.

856666

I plan on using the method from this saved thread

There is space under the Horn Relay or Voltage Regulator

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-progress.html

phil

toddalin

Because I installed a 1-wire alternator, I gutted the voltage regulator and put a pair of headlight relays in there. Looks totally stock. See the link above this reply for how I did it.

VetteRed1965

I used the mad electric relays two years ago. I put the relays next to the radiator bulkhead on the drivers side.




As you can see, they are mounted to the left of the radiator. I spliced into the stock wiring harness to trigger the relays and ran the power wire from the horn relay

Now I can see the road at night with no worries !

Got the power source from the bottom of the horn relay.

Green wire on the bottom is power source


One green wire for each relay. One for low beam and the other for high beams

BigT-65

This is what I'm looking for. Thanks

BigT-65

These pictures show the connections very well. I am wondering if it makes any difference if the power wires make the trip across the front of the car or the tan and green wires. That is, putting the relays on the right side or the left.

toddalin

My relays are on the right so the run from the horn relay to the headlight relays is just a few inches. If you put the relays on the other side, this is increased to a few feet,

Yes, there would be a very slight difference, but I don't know how notable it would be. (Heavier wire between the horn relay and headlight relays would reduce/remove any difference.)

It still takes the load off the dash panel and headlight switch though, and that is also important because these brighten up a bit.

BigT-65

VetteRed1965 put his relays on the left. I don't think the difference caused by 3 feet of wire would be much and probably not noticeable. There is a lot more room for the relays on the left side. However I think I will install Mine by the horn relay if I can get it all in with the horn relay and voltage regulator in the way.

BigT-65

I decided to put the relays on the driver's side. There is too much stuff in the way on the other side. It will be a lot easier to put them on the left. And probably look better.

BigT-65

OK, so I got the relays installed. The driver's side high and low beams both work but neither of the passenger side lights work. I am pretty sure I wired everything up right. It's acting like I wired the relays into the harness after the wires split to the right and the left, but the relays are wired in about a foot and a half before they get to the firewall. And there was not 2 tans and 2 black/green wires in the harness at that point. As it would be if it was split. Has anyone installed these MAD Electric relays and had this problem?

856666

I pulled the gauge Cluster out for referb. and decided to see if the relay's would fit inside the car at the drivers side Kick panel

It turned out to be pretty easy -

I used the Headlight Door Breaker - center of picture- for power source and connected the dimmer switch to the relays as the trigger wire.

Very little harness modifications

Phil

BigT-65

Never Mind! I found the problem. I'm an idiot. About a week ago when I first got the relays I was poking around the headlight wiring trying to see what was what and unplugged the headlight connector on the passenger side. I just plugged it back in and lights work. Now I am waiting for dark so I can see how they look on the road.

Cpe04

I came directly off the alternator with a 10 ga wire, a 30amp inline fuse, routed through the top of the radiator support and mounted the relays onto a cover I made for the LHS radiator support opening. No new holes were made in the car.




Routed into top of radiator support





Out of radiator support





Mounted to cover. Highbeam,Lowbeam, Rotate up, Rotate down

Cpe04

Here are the connection to alt and fuse.



inline fuse on fenderwell

65GGvert

I mention this because someone else may be using it for troubleshooting or such. There is no headlight door relay. There IS a 30 amp circuit breaker mounted on the driver's side kick panel under the dash that I assume you used.

toddalin

Arg!

Must cover/remove Taiwan! (Maybe you could flip it over or put it under the stock harness to hide it.)

VetteRed1965

I also put in Hella's with H-4 50 watt bulbs .
I do not need high beams much but I went to Napa and got aircraft landing lights and they really light things up on a lonely road.

BigT-65

I just got back from the night time test. The relays are doing what they said they would. Dash lights are much brighter and there is a lot more light on the road. I live just a mile or so from some winding country roads. I figured there wouldn't be much traffic out there and I would be able to give them a good test. Man, it was one car after another. I finally got far enough away. The lights looked great. I pretty much wired them up the same as VetteRed65. Doesn't look bad and worth it even if it does.